


Mistletoe

by SnowQueenOfMyHeart



Series: Christmas with the Snow Queen [7]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Anna just wants to love Elsa, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Gen, Light&LoveChallenge18, Sisterly Love, snow sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-23 02:16:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17071565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowQueenOfMyHeart/pseuds/SnowQueenOfMyHeart
Summary: It’s that time of year.  So what better way to get into the spirit of the season than with a little mistletoe?  Modern AU, kinda like Ralph Breaks the Internet.





	Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> For the #Light&LoveChallenge18 on Tumblr. Prompt: That Time of Year. I looked up the traditions surrounding mistletoe as I wrote this, so the story changed a lot. If you have time, please look it up. It’s really kinda sweet.

That time of year.

Time for merrymaking and endless sweets and warm hugs and fires and steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

Time for friends and family to come together and celebrate.

And for one princess, time to show love to those closest to you.

When she was a child, Anna could remember seeing mistletoe decorating various doorways around the castle and people kissing under it.  Usually it was her parents, but they would scoop her up and kiss her rosy cheeks.  Then, they were gone, and Anna felt less cheer at seeing mistletoe during Christmastime.  She often wondered about finding a handsome man standing beneath a cluster of it and kissing him and how he would sweep her off her feet.  She never thought much about why this tradition existed, only that she was left alone and that she hated it.

Then, everything changed.  Now, she didn’t have to feel so lonely.  Elsa was back in her life, the gates were open, and Anna had many new friends.  So when Christmas approached, she found mistletoe to be more appealing than it had in a long time.

It was only recently that she actually looked into the legend about mistletoe and its meaning.  She read that the plant was associated with a goddess of love and the mother of the sun god.  In the ancient folklore, the sun god had a dream that he would die, so the goddess sought a promise from all the creatures and plants that no harm would befall him.  However, the god of evil made an arrow tip out of mistletoe, which had been overlooked by the goddess, and gave it to the blind god of winter who shot the sun god and killed him.  The world mourned for his loss, but the goddess restored him to life.  The tears she shed became the white berries on the mistletoe plant, and in her joy the goddess kissed all who passed beneath the tree on which it grew.  And so it became a custom that “whoever stands under the humble mistletoe, no harm should befall them, only a kiss, a token of love.”

When Anna read this, her mind flashed back to that fateful day on the fjord.  Then to each moment she had reached out to Elsa, desperate to show how much she loved her estranged sister.  And finally to the profound joy she felt knowing that Elsa was safe and no longer shutting her out.

She thought about all the harm that had befallen her dear sister, all the needless pain and anxiety because of a simple mistake.  All those years she had spent wishing for Elsa to open the door and come out to play, just to show that she cared about her little sister.  Anna thought about how close they had come to losing everything.  About the simple yet powerful truth that “love will thaw.”  And then she felt her heart break because somewhere deep down, she was afraid that she had still not conveyed to Elsa just how much she meant to her.  And how scared she was of losing her like the goddess lost her son.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Anna left the library and started making plans for a new way to show Elsa - and everyone - how much she loved her.

 

* * *

 

 

“Anna, no.”

“Aw, come on!  Don’t be such a stinker, Elsa!”

“Really, there’s plenty of decorations in the mansion.”

“Then I’ll just add some more!”

Elsa rolled her eyes and kept walking.  Anna followed close behind, her arms bulging with a large bag.  The sisters were attending a big Christmas party, and all the Disney princesses would be there.  Despite Elsa’s protests, Anna had insisted on adding a little mistletoe - which turned out to be a lot - just to make things a little more lively.  Judging by the size of the bag, Elsa suspected that Anna had gathered enough mistletoe to decorate every single doorway in the spacious mansion where the party was being held.  She did not ask any questions, however, but simply resigned herself to her sister’s shenanigans.

Once there, Anna set to work hanging up mistletoe wherever she could.  By the time the party got rolling, everyone found themselves walking from room to room under clumps of mistletoe, leading to many exchanges of quick kisses or long smooches.  There were even clusters hanging in the middle of some rooms; how Anna managed to get them on the chandeliers remained a mystery.

For a while, Anna enjoyed herself in the party atmosphere.  She was happy to share platonic kisses with her friends at every cluster of mistletoe.  But her eyes kept wandering as if searching for someone.

Whenever she saw Elsa, she watched closely to see where she stood.  Much to her disappointment, Elsa seemed to be avoiding the mistletoe as much as possible.  Anna suspected it was due to her sister’s old habits of avoiding physical contact with people, but it still bothered her.  She wished Elsa would just stop and linger for a second or two, give her just enough time to dash across the room to her side...

It didn’t happen.

An hour or so later, Elsa found Anna looking a little bummed out.  Her little sister was standing by a doorway facing the courtyard, and she was gazing out into the moonlit night.

“Anna?  Is everything alright?”

Anna turned her head and attempted to smile.  It only made Elsa more suspicious.

“Yeah, everything’s great.  Just needed some fresh air, y’know.”

Elsa stepped to her side and waited for Anna to continue.  When she didn’t, she glanced up and noticed, sure enough, a cluster of mistletoe hanging in the doorway.

“Why did you decorate with all this mistletoe?”

Anna did not respond immediately, hoping Elsa would have figured it out by now.  Apparently she would have to spell it out.

“Elsa, you know what mistletoe means at this time of year, right?”

She turned to face her sister, watching as the gears turned in her brain.

“Um, something to do with fertility blessings?”

“What-no, I mean, okay, maybe that.  But you know how people kiss under it?”

Elsa raised a skeptical eyebrow.  “Yes...”

Anna took a deep breath and said, “Do you know the legend behind it?”

She waited.  Elsa slowly shook her head.

So Anna quickly explained the legend she had read only a few days ago.  And what the significance of mistletoe meant in relation to the ancient story.

“I never really knew what the whole kissing thing was supposed to be, but it turns out it’s a peace blessing.  Or a wish that no harm comes to you or your loved one.”

Elsa stared, processing all of it but not entirely sure why this legend had led to Anna’s decorating craze.

“So...you just wanted to spread good feelings?  That everyone be at peace?”

Anna bit her lip.  “Um, not really.  I mean, sure, that’s all fine and stuff, but that wasn’t the reason...” she trailed off and glanced shyly up at Elsa.

For a moment, Elsa was stumped as to what Anna was getting at.  An ancient legend about a goddess of love who sought to protect her son, to ensure that he would not die?  The sky pales and the world mourns the loss of the son - the literal sun.  And through her tears, the goddess revives her son and the tree is proclaimed a symbol of peace and love.  Why would Anna...

_I’m just trying to protect you._

_Protect you from death._

_Without you, the sun is gone._

_Love conquers all._

_Love. Will. Thaw._

_Oh._

Elsa’s eyes widened as the pieces all came together.

“You...you did this...for me?”

Anna shuffled her feet, not registering her sister’s changing expression.  “I know it’s silly...but I...I just wanted to, um...show everyone how much I, uh, love you.  And...that story felt a...bit too familiar...’cause, you know...I just wanted to-”

Without warning, Anna felt cool hands cup her cheeks and her head tilted up slightly, just enough so that Elsa could place a tender kiss on her forehead.  She held the kiss for several seconds before backing away and gazing deep into Anna’s turquoise eyes, her own sapphire orbs full of love and sisterly affection.

“It’s perfect.  I love it.”

Anna was blushing from the unexpected display of affection and at a loss for what to say.

“You...you do?”

“Yes, love,” Elsa answered without skipping a beat, her eyes watering a bit.  “You are without a doubt the sweetest sister I could ever ask for.  I’m sorry I didn’t realize why that was so important to you.  Did you mean to give me a kiss at some point?”

Anna’s lips quirked up in a sheepish grin.  “Maybe...?”

Elsa looked intently at her.

She mumbled, “All night...”

“Oh, Anna...”

Anna tried to brush it off.  “Eh, it’s fine...”

Looking up, Elsa plucked a sprig from the mistletoe and tucked it in her hair.  It blended beautifully with her platinum blonde locks.

“There.  Now you can give your sister a kiss whenever you want.”

It was Anna’s turn to feel her eyes watering up.  She threw her arms around Elsa and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.  Then she buried her face in her neck and whispered, “I love you, Elsa.”

Kissing her sun-kissed copper hair, Elsa replied, “I love you, too, angel.”

 

* * *

 

 

For the remainder of the night, Anna did not hesitate in giving Elsa a peck on the cheek whenever she could.  Much to her delight, Elsa reciprocated with little kisses on the cheek and forehead.

The real kicker was when Anna got her to wait under a cluster of mistletoe in the middle of the largest room in the mansion, long enough for Cassandra to finally take the hint.  Anna said something about Elsa needing birthday kisses - the Winter Solstice was around the corner - and Elsa had somehow not been in the presence of her girlfriend long enough that night.  And it needed to be one for each year, too.  As Cassandra kissed Elsa passionately - twenty-two times - everyone whooped and cheered, Anna loudest of all.  She even got a little carried away at one point, squeezing the royal booty in full view of everybody.  Elsa didn’t mind; she even gave Cassandra a firm slap on the butt when they finished.

As they left the party and were riding back to their apartment, Anna kept sneaking little kisses on Elsa’s cheeks and forehead when she could, to which Elsa would respond with the same.  The mistletoe shimmered in her hair, as if it had naturally sprouted forth from her thick mane.  Snuggling in the car, Anna felt her heart was going to burst from all the love she had shown tonight for her beloved sister, but even more so from the equally wonderful love she had received.  Feeling warm and cozy in the arms of her big sister - who gave her one more tender kiss as she stroked her hair - Anna drifted off to sleep.


End file.
